DALLAS (Ticker) -- With his mom in attendance, Karl Malone
seized control of a wild game by scoring 18 points in the second
half and leading the Utah Jazz to their fifth straight victory,
105-92 over the Dallas Mavericks.

Malone's first half was marked by 3-of-10 shooting and an elbow
to the face of Mavericks center Shawn Bradley. In the second
half, he got into a heated argument with Dallas coach Don
Nelson, who was ejected.

Reunion Arena fans also got fired up, booing Malone's mom, and
the future Hall of Famer responded by sticking out his tongue
following made baskets. Jazz coach Jerry Sloan also was ejected
as the game got extremely physical in the fourth quarter.

"It got a little crazy out there," said Sloan, who was tossed
with 3:37 left. "We were glad to be able to come away with a
win."

"I was taught as a little boy by my mom and my grandfather to
respect my elders," Malone said of his mid-court confrontation
with Nelson. "But if your elders get in your face and get out
of line you've got to put them in their place."

Malone made 5-of-8 shots and was 8-of-11 at the line after the
break. He finished with 24 points and Bryon Russell added 20 as
Utah posted its 10th straight victory over Dallas.

Michael Finley led the Mavericks with 30 points and Dirk
Nowitzki added 24.

The game was tied, 2-2, just under a minute into the contest
when Malone sank a 13-footer to ignite an 11-0 run. Dallas was
held without a point for nearly five minutes but managed to get
within 21-18 after 12 minutes.

The Mavericks forged ahead, 24-23, early in the second quarter
and the game remained tight until late in the period. Erick
Strickland hit a 15-footer with 98 seconds left to get Dallas
within 41-40 but John Stockton hit two free throws and Russell
dunked to give the Jazz a 45-40 halftime lead.

Malone had 14 points in the third quarter as the Jazz took a
71-67 cushion into the final period. He made 3-of-5 shots and
was 8-of-11 at the line in the quarter. The two-time NBA Most
Valuable Player got under Nelson's skin and the Dallas coach
lost it late in the quarter, storming the court to confront
Malone.

"He was up in my face," Malone said. "You get kicked out -- you
leave. You don't go pick an argument with a player. I have
always respected the coaches and the game and I am not going to
play the game that is going to drive me away from the game.
That's the reason the fans are not coming out anymore."

The lead was 79-75 just under four minutes into the fourth
quarter when Howard Eisley hit an 11-footer and Russell made a
driving layup.

Bradley drew a pair of technical fouls on the play and was
tossed. Stockton made one free throw and Russell sank the other
for an 85-75 edge with 6:28 remaining. Russell added a driving
layup 20 seconds later and Greg Ostertag pushed the lead to 14
with a follow shot with 5:31 to go.

A free throw by Finley with 2:34 left got Dallas within 92-85
but Malone answered with a 14-footer.

Utah shot 45 percent (37-of-83) from the field and missed all
six of its 3-point attempts. But the Jazz held a 49-43
rebounding edge and made more free throws (31-of-39) than Dallas
attempted (14-of-20).

"Utah is a physical team, a team that likes to intimidate you
both offensively and defensively," Finley said. "I think they
kind of (ticked) us off tonight. It turned into a physical
affair. Tempers flared, both coaches flared, it was a great
game to be a part of."